Tank fitting



June 28, 1938. E GOEHLER 2,122,227

TANK FITTING Filed NOV; 4, 1956 [nz/c' nior Elmer/F QOehZer Patented June 28, 1938 UHTED STATES PATENT OFFHQE Vortex Manufacturing Company,

Portland,

reg., a corporation of Oregon Application November 4, 1936, Serial No. 109,119

Claims.

This invention relates to fittings for fuel oil tanks and especially to a unitary fitting for a fuel oil tank such as is used for a domestic oil heating system.

The objects of this invention are to overcome objections heretofore thought insurmountable, particularly with reference to frequent plugging of the indispensable oil filter used with such systems.

Practically all systems now in use consist of a fan for furnishing air to a burner, an isolated oil tank, an oil pump located on the same base with the fan, a metering oil atomizing device or nozzle and a mechanical filter of some chosen type so that the invariable sediment, sludge and impurities of the cheap oil used will not plug the exceedingly small passageways in the atomizing device.

Since pressures requisite for atomization are high, the pump must be of the positive displacement type and since a positive displacement pump of just the capacity required is out of the question, an overflow pipe between the pump and the atomizer is likewise always required. In these systems all of the oil pumped is filtered, though a very large percentage of it returns to the tank through the overflow pipe, usually keeping the tank agitated so that the sludge does not all settle to the bottom as it should but is kept mixed with the tank contents.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is a device to be used in combination with the old, well known and tried system, outlined above, that will not only protect the suction pipe of the pump from sludge accumulations but will insure that the impurities of the fuel oil tank will pass from the tank to the filter only once, notwithstanding as much as 80 or 90 percent of the capacity of the pump as operated is returned constantly to the storage tank through the overflow pipe and filtered oil returned to the tank through the overflow pipe will be available uncontaminated as pump supply, except for the very small increment of oil to replace that actually burned.

I accomplish the named objects and others that will be immediately-apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. I is an elevation of my invention, partly in section and in part broken away to show its application to an oil storage tank;

Fig. II is a projection of a part of Fig. I; and

. Fig. III is a section taken on the line III-III of Fig. I.

In the drawing, the sections l and 2 respectively represent the top and bottom members of a fuel oil tank which may be circular or rectangular. 3 is a fitting, preferably cast of metal that is provided with two independent connections 4 and 5, each forming a part of independent inner passageways or ports such as do. and 5a.

A plug portion 6 may be threaded to fit a tank opening as suggested in Fig. I, or any type of joinder may be used.

The connection 4 will be properly connected to the suction inlet of a fuel oil pump in any suitable manner and the connection 5 will be suitably joined to the overflow outlet of an oil burner unit of the general type heretofore indicated.

Below the plug portion 6 are two pipes which extend different distances into the fuel tank, represented by l and 2, the suction pipe indicated by numeral 8 being the longer and hence penetrates the tank further than the overflow pipe 9.

A circulation cup Hl, which is the essence of the present invention, is positioned below the ends of the pipes 8 and 9 in such manner that both free ends of these pipes are submerged below the upper rim Illa of the cup ill. The cup It may be supported in any preferred manner but I prefer to weld it to the pipes 8 and 9 as shown in Fig. I, the welds being indicated by Iflb.

I also prefer to make the device as a unitary structure so that it may be inserted in the tank, for which purpose the opening for the plug, or whatever substitute, will be larger than the outside diameter of the cup.

By the simple but effective device of the cup l0 positioned properly below the suction and delivery pipes, all oil returned to the tank is available for repumping, save only that the actual consumption will flow over the top of the cup to make up for what is used. Since the oil passing once through the filter to the atomizer returns to the cup as filtered oil and is: again repumped, the net result is much cleaner oil to the atomizer than heretofore and less clogging trouble with the atomizer element.

The cup should be at least two and a half inches high for a 500 gallon tank since with a round tank that much height will be required so that the inevitable sludge accumulation does not overflow the cup and the tank will of course be provided with the usual sludge outlet at its extreme lower inside point so that it may be made ready for refill when required.

Having disclosed my invention so that it may 2. A tank fitting defined in part as a head member that is adapted for tight joinder with the top of an oil tank and having separate suction and overflow passageways therethrough, in-

dividual pipes connected to the head in registry with the respective passageways that are adapted to reach nearly to the bottom of a tank and an open top circulation cup member positioned tosubmerge the free ends of both pipes.

3. A tank fitting defined in part as a. head member that is adapted for tight joinder with the top of an oil tank and having separate suction and overflow passageways therethrough, in-

dividual pipes connected to the head in registry with the respective passageways that are adapted to reach nearly to the bottom of a tank and an open top cup member positioned to submerge the free ends of both pipes, that is made rigid with the external surface of one or both of the pipes.

4. A sediment cup for a fuel oil tank defined as an open top circulation cup member that is adapted to submerge the free ends of suction and overflow pipes projecting into a tank suction and overflow pipe ends made rigid with the cup and means for maintaining the said cup in position with respect to the said free ends of the pipes.

5. A tank fitting defined as a two ported head, pipes made rigid with the head in registry with the ports that are adapted to define two independent conduits to a point near the inside bottom of a tank upon which the head is mounted and an open top circulation cup member positioned to submerge the ends of both pipes below the rim ofits open top.

ELL/HER. E. GOEI-ILER. 

